U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,542 discloses a fireplace grate and forced air heat exchanger useful in a wood burning fireplace. The device is useful for circulating air from a room through a manifold and tube which support burning logs for discharge into the room. The air passing through the manifold and tubes is heated thereby enhancing the utility of the fireplace by improving the efficiency of heat transfer from the fireplace to the room.
There are numerous other issued patents disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,542 which relate to various heat exchangers incorporated with a fireplace grate for the purpose of improving efficiency of heat transfer from the fireplace to a room. The prior art devices are designed for use with combustible materials, principally wood in the form of logs.
In the modern home, however, many fireplaces have been converted so that natural gas is burned in the fireplace. The natural gas is combusted to provide flames that pass through synthetic logs or coals. Heretofore a fireplace grate has been designed for use with gas and also utilizing a manifold and blower construction to enhance the efficiency of heat transfer from the fireplace into a room. Such a product is manufactured by Heat-N-Glo Fireplace Products, Inc. of Burnsville, Minn.
While such a gas combusting fireplace heat transfer unit appears to be desirable, such prior units are believed to be lacking in one or more important characteristics; for example, simplicity and therefore economy of construction, efficiency of heat transfer, attractiveness of design, suitable alignment and maintenance of alignment of the non-combustible, synthetic logs or coals.